Category Archives: Knowing authors

In this category I will interview writers. How cool is that? we will know as much as they want to tell us. It is time do discover new authors.

Also, this is a way to know more about their lifes, their habits and their published books. This is a fantastic chance to discover new authors. As a result, they will tell us what and how they think. We will learn about their habits, tips and tricks.  I decided to create this category because there is a lot to learnd and a lot to share!

Maybe you will get inspired by their lifes, who knows?

If you are open minded and you want to discover new authors stay tuned to this category.

interview simon rose

Royal Blood interview (with author Simon Rose)

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published eighteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, Royal Blood, the second novel in the Stone of the Seer series.

So remind us about the Stone of the Seer series. What’s it all about?

The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series for young adults, primarily set during the English Civil War in the mid-seventeenth century. The Stone of the Seer, is the first book in the series. At Habingdon House, Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate, and Tom discover a magical black stone, mysterious ancient manuscripts, and the tempus inpectoris, an incredible time viewing device. They are also in grave danger from Daniel Tombes, who has a fearsome reputation as a witchfinder.

And without giving too much away, what can readers look forward to in the second novel?

In Royal Blood, Lady Elizabeth, Kate, and Tom move to London in the middle of the Civil War, experiencing the great political changes taking place at the time, including thetrial and execution of Charles I. They are also still under threat from Tombes, who is also in the city. The story has many twists and turns, and I doubt if any of the readers will expect the novel’s cliffhanger ending.

Royal Blood
Royal Blood

And then they’ll have to wait for the third book?

Yes, they certainly will. I’m hoping that Revenge of the Witchfinder, the final novel and the conclusion of the story,will be published later this year. After that, people will be able to buy all three books in the series.

And what’s the story behind the story?

The story, main characters, and some of the settings in Royal Blood are fictional, but like in The Stone of the Seer, they’re based on real events and historical characters, such as King Charles I, appear in the story. The English Civil War broke out as a result of the struggle between Charles I and Parliament, regarding how the country should be governed. The king’s defeat in the war was followed by his trial and execution in January 1649. The monarchy was abolished and replaced first by the Commonwealth of England and then the Protectorate. However, although the monarchy was restored in 1660, in the person of Charles II, his father’s defeat confirmed that an English monarch couldn’t rule the country without the consent of Parliament. This was eventually legally established in 1688 after the Glorious Revolution.

Did you conduct extensive historical research for this book, as you did with the first one?

Although the English Civil War is a time period I’ve always been interested in, I still engaged in lots of research. I needed to study what life was like in seventeenth century London, the political and religious beliefs that were around at the time, the influence of real witchfinders such as Matthew Hopkins and others like him, and of course the trial and execution of Charles I. The trial itself was very well recorded and I was able to ensure that the words spoken by both the king and his accusers were accurate. There were also many witnesses to the execution, so I was able to include established facts about that aspect as well.

As I did in The Stone of the Seer, I’ve included a glossary at the end of Royal Blood, where readers can learn more about the events, settings, and leading characters from the era, locations that are mentioned in the text, life in the seventeenth century, and about other historical periods that are featured in the story. On my website, there’s also a page with details about the historical background behind the books, with links to online sources about the time period.

Do you have any current projects?

Right now I’m working on another historical fantasy novel series, this time set in the early years of World War II. I’m also working on another series of paranormal novels, in the same genre as my previously published series that includes Flashback, Twisted Fate, and Parallel Destiny. You can learn more about those books at www.simon-rose.com. In addition, I’m in the early stages of another couple of historical projects, and am also working on some screenplays, including adaptations of my Shadowzone series, and on several other topics.

Do you still work with other authors as well?

Yes, I offer coaching, editing, consulting, and mentoring services for writers of novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, inspirational books, and in many other genres, plus work with writers of scripts and screenplays. I’m also a writing instructor at the University of Calgary and served as the Writer-in-Residence with the Canadian Authors Association. You can find details of some of the projects I’ve worked on with other authors, along with references and recommendations, at www.simon-rose.com.

So where can people buy Royal Blood and The Stone of the Seer?

The novel can be purchased at most of the usual places, as follows:

Royal Blood

Ebook: Amazon CanadaAmazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and NobleSmashwords

Paperback: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA

The Stone of the Seer

Ebook: Amazon CanadaAmazon USAKoboiBooksBarnes and NobleSmashwords 

Paperback: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA

Thanks Simon, for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with Royal Blood and the Stone of the Seer series. I hope the books sell thousands and thousands of copies in the coming weeks and months.

You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com, where you can also link to his social media sites and other locations online.

interview with jenni fagan

Interview with Jenni Fagan

Here’s my shor interview with author Jenni Fagan:

If you had to define yourself just using one sentence of your novels, which one would be?

I’m an experiment. I always was. It’s a given, a liberty, a fact.  

Do you have any rituals for writing? Any kind of habit or goal to achieve every day?

Rituals for writing: I always (mostly) write poetry by hand. I write novels usually in bed or laying down as I never had space for an office so that’s how I always did it. It takes an hour maybe to discard the real world and be properly and truly in the one I’m writing. I research a lot. I will go over and over and over a sentence or a page, or a chapter, or a whole book. It can take a while. I know what my word count is likely to be for novels and aim for that, especially on early drafts where momentum is key.  

Do you take real people you know and put them in your stories?

No. Even in my memoir it’s my story and anyone in it would only be recognizable to themselves. Fiction is a space to let imagination take over so unless it is specifically about someone historically, like Geillis Duncan in the North Berwick witch trials in my novel HEX, other than that no I really wouldn’t.  

Let’s talk about procrastination, what is the most absurd thing you’ve been doing when you should be writing?

I was renovating houses for nearly decade which often involved knocking a lot of walls down with a sledgehammer.  

What are you writing right now?

I am finishing my memoir, it’s called OOTLIN and is about the first sixteen years of my life growing up in the local authority care system.  

interview with darren shan

Interview with author Darren Shan

Hi there Wottareaders, here’s my interview with author Darren Shan, best known for his Cirque Du Freak, and the Demonata series, but he has written many other books that deserve to get your attention, also, this is a great chance for you to know him a bit better, so let’s start!

😀 The Man

What can you tell us about you?

I’m nearly 50 years old, I’ve been a full-time writer for the last 27 years, I’ve published close to 60 books and sold about 30 million copies worldwide. I’m best known for my Cirque Du Freak and Demonata series, and I’m nearing the end of my latest Archibald Lox series, with the final three books set to see print this summer.

Where are you from? Has your country influenced your stories somehow?

I’m from Ireland (though I was born in London, in the UK.) Some of my books have been set here, and I’m certainly influenced by my surroundings, but I wouldn’t describe myself as an Irish-specific author. I’ve always liked writing stories that could happen virtually anywhere, and I think that’s part of the reason why my books have proved popular in so many different countries around the world.

Writers are such for different reasons, which was your thing that made you decide you wanted to become a professional writer?

I’ve just always loved telling stories. Even when I was 5 or 6 years of age, still living in London, I enjoyed writing stories. If I wasn’t getting paid to publish, I’d still be doing it for fun.

One book, one movie, one song, and one videogame?

Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King; 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Stanley Kubrick; The Mercy Seat, by Nick Cave; I don’t play videogames!

Pineapple pizza, Yes or no?

No!

If you had to define yourself just using one sentence of your novels, which one would be?

I’ve always been fascinated by spiders. (In fact, I haven’t, and have always found them a bit icky! But as the old Liberty Vallance quote goes, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”)

✍️ The writer

I’d like to know about your first steps, the very first day you decided to become a professional writer, what made you do it?

As I said, I was a born storyteller. By my teens I’d decided that I was going to pursue writing professionally, hopefully as a full-time job, but there was no one point where I made that decision – it was just a slowly forming certainty that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

Do you have any rituals for writing? Any kind of habit or goal to achieve every day?

When I’m writing a first draft, I aim for 3,000 words, approximately 10 sheets of A4 paper, each day. When I wrote novels on a typewriter, I would stop each day exactly at the 10 page mark – or, if I was in the middle of a line, I might roll in a new sheet of paper and finish it, but I wouldn’t go any further than that. I loosened up somewhat when I switched to a PC (I write all my novels on a computer), but still try to come in pretty close to that mark each day that I write. If I don’t hit the 3,000 word count on any given work day, I feel like I’ve been slacking!

Do you take real people you know and put them in your stories?

Well, I use the names of lots of real people, family members and friends, but I don’t base the characters directly on them. Occasionally I’ll use a trait of someone I know – for instance, a cousin of mine can stick his tongue up his nose, so I gave the snake-boy in my Cirque Du Freak books that ability!

What advice would you give new writers on how to delve into creative fiction?

Write. The more you write, the more you learn, the better you get. If you follow that one key piece of advice, everything else will flow naturally, and you’ll discover what you’re capable of. But if you don’t put in the work, you won’t get anywhere. Dreaming and planning can be a writer’s worst enemies. You’re better off writing a bad story than creating a perfect one only inside your head.

Which would you say were your best and your worst moments as a writer?

The best moment for me was when I sold the rights to Cirque Du Freak. It wasn’t my first sale – I write for adults as well as teens, and had sold my first book for adults a while earlier – but I still had to depend on unemployment benefits. When my agent confirmed the CDF deal, even though it wasn’t for very much money, it meant that combined with the advance for my adult book, I knew I could afford to write as a (very poorly paid) full-time professional writer for at least one whole year to come.

The worst moment had come several months earlier, when my agent sent Cirque Du Freak to 20 different publishers, and all 20 swiftly rejected it! I thought I’d come to the end of the line, professionally speaking, for the time being, and that I’d have to go get a “proper” job for a few years, before trying again.

Let’s talk about procrastination, what is the most absurd thing you’ve been doing when you should be writing?

Oh, it’s so easy to procrastinate! It’s amazing the things you can find to fill a day – spending ages answering emails, searching online for holidays, exercising, playing word games on my phone, watching lots of movies and TV shows… I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t done it myself at various times, but at least I’ve always known when I’m procrastinating. I think that’s the trick – you can afford to cut yourself a little slack every now and then, but know when you’re doing that, and remind yourself that you shouldn’t be doing too much of it!

The Books

Here you have some books by author Darren Shan in case you want to start reading his amazing stories. Also, check out this list with the Cirque du Freak books in order.

The Archibald Lox series tells the story of a young London teenager named with the same name who discovers he is a locksmith, that is, he is able to open a gateway to a parallel world known as The Merge. What’s the inspiration for this tale?

I was crossing a footbridge in London one day, when I saw a young woman walking towards me, pulling strange faces. She probably just had an itchy nose, but it intrigued me, and I started wondering if there could be another reason why she might be gurning. I immediately thought that she was doing it to open a door to another world, that the face-pulling was a key. Hot on the heels of that, I thought it would be cool if a boy spotted her, and unknown to himself, also had the ability to open that door, and follow her across to that other world. I was hooked by the time I descended to ground level, and knew I’d be taking the idea a whole lot further over the coming years.

You use the name of Darren Dash when you publish a book that is targeted to an adult audience, of all the ones signed under this name, which one you think has the most mature content less appropriate for teenagers?

Well, they pretty much all have their moments! But I published a very weird sci-fi novel called An Other Place, in which in one long section the main character wanders around a deserted city, completely naked, creating an ark-full of animals by… Well, you’d have to read it to believe it, and even then you’ll probably have to double-check to make sure what you thought you read actually did happen!

In The Zom-B series a teenage Irish boy, B Smith, struggles to find a place in a world of racism, zombies and darkness. What is worse, zombies or darkness?

It becomes evident, fairly early on in Zom-B, that the zombies are by no means the greatest threat that humanity has to deal with. Zombies are just natural killers, no more to blame for their actions than a tiger or a lion. Humans with a choice, who choose to embrace their baser desires and drives… those are the real monsters.

 Also, you mention on your website that starting this series was a dauting task, because it’s addressed to a young audience and the main character is a racist. I guess you were aware that it could create controversy when published, how did you prepare for that?

I never worry too much about potential controversy. I’ve been pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in “childrens books” for more than 20 years, and I’ve actually never run into any real controversial battles. B Smith (the main character in Zom-B) was a complicated, hard-to-like character, a teenager who aped her father’s racist views in order to be able to live a quiet life. I wanted to explore the dangers of complicitly, to illustrate that silence isn’t a just defence, that if we don’t actively take a stand against racists in our lives, that we risk ending up being just as bad as them. B doesn’t share her father’s racist views, but by not standing up to him, she ends up mirroring those views, and becoming a monster far worse than the living dead who are terrorising the world. She does find a road back to redemption – one of the key themes I wanted to stress in this series, as I did in my stand-alone fantasy novel The Thin Executioner, is that we all have the capacity to changes paths in life, that we’re not tied to the roles that we’ve been assigned, that there’s hope for even the most wretched of us – but it’s a long, difficult road, and it would have been far easier for her if she had taken her stand earlier. Procrastination is as dangerous for those who fail to stand up to evil as it is for writers who choose to play on their phones instead of working!

The Demonata series is a YA horror story composed of 10 volumes, in each of them we’ll meet a kid who will have to, one way or another, deal with a demon.  Does this carry the message of “you have to overcome your demons in order to grow up”?

I never really thought of it that way, to be honest. Although, that said, there is a scene in the first book, Lord Loss, where a boy family are killed by demons. He descends into madness, then slowly starts to piece together a new life for himself, and in that instance I was directly saying to readers, using these fantastical creatures, that kids can overcome any obstacle this world throws into their paths, even the loss of people they love with all their heart.

Also, the first volume in the series, Lord Loss, you stated that the second chapter of this book is the most shocking thing you have ever written in a children’s book, is that still true to this day?

Yeah, I think it would be fairly hard to top chapter 2 of Lord Loss! To be truthful, it’s not something I’ve set out to attempt. It might sound strange, given the amount of violence that has featured in my books over the years, but I never use violence gratuitously. If it’s there, it’s there for a very strong reason, and my stories explore how it impacts on the characters, and how they have to change in reaction to it.

Going back to your earlier question about controversies, I think this is the reason there has been so little fuss about my books. One of the reasons Cirque Du Freak was turned down by publishers to begin with was that they thought it was too dark for a children’s book, that parents would object strongly to it, that it would be banned. What they missed was that the books aren’t about the darkness – they’re about coming through the darkness. They’re about the power children have to recover from any setback, to press on and get their lives back on tracks. Readers got that instantly when Cirque Du Freak came out, and parents saw the positives that kids were getting from the book – and all those that have come since – and that’s why there’s neer been the wave of negative feedback that those publishers were anticipating. As grisly as my books can get, they’re never grisly just for cheap effect.

Cirque du Freak was a major success; however, its movie adaptation didn’t perform well. Fans agree this story has so much potential it needs to be rebooted, any chance this will happen?

Hopefully. There’s a team in the States, working on trying to reboot it, most probably for television (though they haven’t completely ruled out a cinematic return). I can’t say much more than that right now, and it’s still in a very early stage, so I wouldn’t urge any fans of the books to get over-excited. But yeah… the books might get another bite at the movie/TV apple in the not-too-distant future… fingers crossed!

What are you writing right now?

I’m about to begin my very final edit of the last three Archibald Lox books, ahead of their release later this year. And I had an idea for a sweet-natured zombie book a month or two ago, which I think might be my next new project when I’m done with Archie and co…a zombie novel to this time tug at your heartstrings, rather than rip your heart out through your chest, as my last zombie story did!

Thank you to author Darren Shan for answering my questions! we wish you good look with the last 3 Archibald Lox books, and let’s wish the Cirque du Freak series gets a reboot!

interview author ronald l ruiz

Interview with author Ronald L. Ruiz

Hello Wottareaders, here is my interview with author Ronald L. Ruiz, but before we get to that, did you know that he just released a new book? here it is, Lost and Found:

Abel had worked tirelessly to earn respect in the courts, avoiding any semblance of a personal life to achieve his goals. Now, his personal and professional lives had collided and he found himself being rejected by the community that had previously supported and admired him.

What can you tell us about you?

I was an attorney for 36 years in California, for 31 years in criminal law as a deputy district attorney, a deputy public defender, and in my own private practice.

I have published 7 novels and 1 memoir.

One book, one movie, one song, and one videogame?

My favorite book is All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.

My favorite movie is Apocalypse Now.

My favorite song is I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free Feel to be Free by Nina Simone.

I’ve never played any videogames.

If you had to define yourself just using one sentence of your novels, which one would be?

I can’t think of one sentence.

Do you have any rituals for writing? Any kind of habit or goal to achieve every day?

I try to spend two to three hours each day writing. For the first draft, I pick up one day where I left off the day before. For the second draft, I re-read what I worked on the day before.

Do you take real people you know and put them in your stories?

Never. That would open me up to lawsuits. I go out of my way to hide any resemblance to real people.

Let’s talk about procrastination, what is the most absurd thing you’ve been doing when you should be writing?

Watching an NBA basketball game on television.

Tell us about your book, what do you think is the most interesting aspect of it?

This book is about identity and the affect racism has on the identity of the lead character.

What are you writing right now?

I am currently writing about three youngsters who are about to be released from a juvenile correctional facility.


Hope you enjoyed this interview, also, don’t miss this post with the Gotrek and Felix series in order, an amazing fantasy tale for sure.

interview with kimber fox morgan

Interview with Kimber Fox Morgan

Hi there Wottareaders, here you have my interview with Kimber Fox Morgan. But before we get to know her better, let me show your her amazing book:

Tip toe, tip toe, crackle, crunch!
Chipper the Fox sneaks through the forest to spread cheer to his weary friends. Will his merry making be a success? Or will a smelly fish disaster and a log pile tumble ruin his plans?  This sweet, ryhming tale of Chipper’s love and determination will show kids of all ages that ♥KINDNESS ALWAYS WINS! ♥

What can you tell us about you?

I’m a fun wife, and imperfect mom of 3 crazy kiddos and 2 little lemon (problematic) dogs.

I try to live my strengths the best I can. I like to say I am creative, not crafty. I’m a homemade Halloween costume type of mom. I let my kids mix the play doh. I bake fun birthday cakes (cutely but far from perfection). I love a homemade valentine and a school project. But please don’t make me chaperone a field trip!

I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. I enjoyed my first job as a character at Walt Disney World!  I went to Florida State University and have a major in advertising and a minor in English. I worked in advertising and event planning before transitioning to blogging and writing.

One book, one movie, one song, and one videogame?

American Dirt – eye opening!

Forest Gump – heartwarming

You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor – my father- daughter dance song

Videogame – Tetris

If you had to define yourself just using one sentence of your novels, which one would be?

Since it’s a children’s book with limited sentences, I chose a few. But I’m ALWAYS freezing in my house and my hubby, and I are constantly having thermostat wars!

Scout’s den is extra cold this year. It leaves her with a chill.

She tries to warm her icy paws. “Please thaw! They never will!”

Do you have any rituals for writing? Any kind of habit or goal to achieve every day?

After about 4 cups of coffee, I sit at the kitchen counter and try to let the words flow. If it’s a good day, I can write and write and get it all down. I tend to write more and then edit later. I don’t write in short spurts.

Do you take real people you know and put them in your stories?

Sometimes! But usually only certain aspects or little bits and pieces of people’s personalities…

Let’s talk about procrastination, what is the most absurd thing you’ve been doing when you should be writing?

Cleaning the kitchen, walking the dogs, scrolling Instagram, taking a nap. I love a nap!

Tell us about your book, what do you think is the most interesting aspect of it?

I developed the character, Chipper the Fox, a few years ago to go into a holiday kit for busy parents. The kits were full of mischievous fun. I have put the holiday kits down for a silent night, but I felt like Chipper had more “merry” to make and love to give. Thus, I developed him into a storybook character. Chipper Makes Merry is about gracious giving and spreading kindness. Chipper sees his friends struggling with the cold winter in different ways and attempts to spread kindness and help them out. He is faced with obstacles along the way and is unsuccessful at many times. But with perseverance he overcomes disaster and is successful. Little acts of kindness can go a long way.

What are you writing right now?

I have two additional children’s books I am working on. One is another “Chipper” book and the other is more of a family comedy children’s book. Both are very different writing styles and messages. I’m at the editing point and I’m trying to figure out where the stories should really go and fine tune them a little bit.


Hope you enjoyed this interviews, also, give a chance to Chipper the Fox! also, don’t miss the Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja books, they are great too.

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